Angry Speaker Loses Cool With Own Party In Parliament

11Dec

Hon. E. Doe Adjaho

Parliament on Friday December 10 came to a standstill and adjourned abruptly when the 1st Deputy Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho sitting in the speaker’s chair, almost lost his cool with Majority Leader Cletus Avoka, who attempted to defend the absence of the Finance Minister and his two deputies from a scheduled appearance.

Parliament was debating the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill as well as considering motions from various ministries to approve their budgetary allocations.

It was after the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Joseph Yileh Kyireh read his motion that the Minority side pointed out some inconsistencies in the allocation to the Ministry.

They wondered how the Ghana School Feeding Programme could be sustained with a reduction in the Ministry’s allocation compared to 2010.

The New Patriotic Party MP for Old Tafo, Akoto Osei, then questioned why Finance Minister Kwabena Duffour and his two deputies were all absent from the House to clarify issues and complained that it was not a healthy development.

At that point, the Majority Leader attempted to offer an explanation but was cut midstream by the Hon Doe Ajaho who angrily retorted that it was not acceptable for the Finance Minister to be absent when the House was debating a bill they had sponsored.

Obviously irritated, the First Deputy Speaker announced to cheers from the Minority side that the Finance Minister must take the House seriously if he wishes to be taken seriously.

The House was then adjourned briefly for 30 minutes to allow for the matter to be rectified, only to reconvene and decide to adjourn until Monday December 13.

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, who spoke to Citi News, explained that there was good reason for the discrepancies in the allocation to the ministry but did not give details.